Self-locking abseil device

ABSTRACT

An abseil device including an integral main body (1) with two generally parallel main flanges (3, 4) joined together via a longitudinal connecting flange (6) and provided with two apertures (13, 14) engaged by a hook ring (2). The apertures (13, 14) include slanted edges (12) along which the hook ring (2) is slidable for wedging an intermediate portion (17) of a rope (5) and thereby locking the abseil device thereon. The device can be released by pivoting the main body (1). A self-locking abseil device suitable for mountaineering, caving, rock climbing or work in places high above the ground is thus provided.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns abseil devices, which are devicesgenerally used for mountaineering, caving, rock climbing or work inplaces high above the ground, in particular enabling descent along arope with a braking action on the rope.

The figure-of-eight abseil devices most frequently used enable onlybraking along the rope, the braking force being adjustable by deliberateaction of the user on the rope itself. To obtain the braking action theuser must hold the rope. If the user lets go of the rope the brakingeffect is insufficient to stop the abseil device sliding down the ropeand the device can slide to the end of the rope at too high a speed, inwhich case the descent of the user is followed by a fall.

More complex abseil devices have been proposed, comprising moving partsand pull cord systems for adjusting the braking force. These abseildevices are always too complex to be totally safe in use, since the userhas to be experienced to use them correctly.

Document U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,772 describes a self-locking device forascending a rope. This device has a integral main body with twogenerally parallel main flanges held the appropriate distance apart forthe rope to slide between them and a longitudinal connecting flangelinking two longitudinal sides of the two main flanges and forming agroove through which the rope passes. Two ring guide openings areprovided on the respective main flanges in corresponding relationship toeach other. Each has at least one oblique edge progressively convergingwith the connecting flange in the direction towards the rope entry endas far as a locking end. The ring guide openings are sized to receive aportion of the locking ring that passes through them and that can slideto the locking end where the ring clamps the rope against the connectingflange.

In the above document the connecting flange is generally rectilinear andhas asperities increasing the friction force on the rope. The lateralflanges are away from the rope.

A device of this kind, designed for ascending a rope, assures effectivelocking but is not appropriate for controlled sliding along a rope. Thelocking force varies too suddenly between effective locking andunlocking with virtually no braking force.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problem to which the present invention is addressed is that ofdesigning a new abseil device structure that combines great simplicity,great safety in use by avoiding any possibility of error, and enhancedefficacy by assuring effective adjustable progressive braking andpositive automatic locking in response to lack of appropriate action bythe user.

In accordance with the invention, the abseil device must therefore beable to lock up automatically if the user does not control its locationand its orientation along the rope, controlled and braked sliding of theabseil device along the rope being permitted by an intentional action ofthe user.

In accordance with the invention, this positive safety must be achievedby an abseil device that is particularly simple, having no moving parts.

To achieve the above and other objects, the self-locking abseil deviceof the invention enables relative locking of a ring to which the user isattached and at least one rope. The abseil device comprises a integralmain body with:

two generally parallel main flanges separated by a distance allowing therope to slide between them,

a longitudinal connecting flange joining together two longitudinal sidesof the two main flanges and forming a groove in which the rope passesbetween an entry end and an exit end,

two ring guide openings in respective main flanges and in correspondingrelationship to each other, each including at least on oblique edgeprogressively converging with the longitudinal connecting flange in thedirection towards the rope entry end and as far as a locking end, thering guide openings being sized to receive a portion of the hook ringpassing through them and which can slide as far as the locking end inwhich the ring clamps the rope against the longitudinal connectingflange;

the longitudinal connecting flange has a concave inner transverseprofile with convergent flanks forming at least one dihedron for wedgingthe rope; two opposite transverse connecting flanges each joiningtogether two respective transverse sides of the main flanges, formingtransverse wedging grooves and constituting the rope entry and rope exitguide portions.

The openings are preferably symmetrical, having an isosceles triangleshape with a central apex in which the hook ring is accommodated in asafety rope braking position and with two opposite locking ends. In thisway the abseil device is symmetrical so that it can be used for eitherdirection of movement of the rope.

To use the same device as a safety rope braking device, it may furtherinclude spring connecting means for joining an intermediate portion ofthe longitudinal connecting flange to the body of the user, constitutingan orientation balancing unit so that the user may simply hold the entryand exit rope portions.

The convergent flanks of the longitudinal connecting flange canadvantageously have respective parallel longitudinal undulations,forcing the rope to follow a somewhat sinusoidal path. This enhances thebraking effect of the wedging of the rope between the convergent flanksof the longitudinal connecting flange.

Use in the descent position is facilitated by providing a longitudinalconnecting flange extended at both ends by two rope retaining brackets.The rope can then be passed over an opposite bracket before it entersthe groove between the main flanges, causing slight pivoting of theabseil device away from the locking orientation.

The main flanges can advantageously have notches for the rope to passthrough at their ends opposite the longitudinal connecting flange. Therope is passed over this notch just before entering the groove betweenthe main flanges. This embodiment achieves automatic locking in theabsence of user action and requires the user to pivot the abseil deviceto release it for braked sliding along the rope.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willemerge from the following description of particular embodiments givenwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of an abseil device in accordance withthe invention in perspective in a locked position;

FIG. 2 shows the abseil device from FIG. 1 in a free sliding position;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the abseil device from FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section of the abseil device from FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view of the abseil device from FIG. 1 as seen from the openside;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an abseil devicedesigned to slide on two runs of rope, shown in a locked position;

FIG. 7 is a cross-section of the abseil device from FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a view of the abseil device from FIG. 6 as seen from the openside;

FIG. 9 is a front view of a second embodiment of an abseil device of theinvention;

FIG. 10 is a view of the abseil device from FIG. 9 in longitudinalhalf-section on the median plane B--B in FIG. 14;

FIG. 11 is a side view of the abseil device from FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a cross-section on A--A in FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 shows part of FIG. 12 to a larger scale, showing the back wallof the locking groove of the abseil device in more detail;

FIG. 14 is a top view of the abseil device from FIG. 9;

FIG. 15 shows the abseil device from FIG. 9 in a free sliding position;

FIG. 16 shows the abseil device from FIG. 9 in a locking position;

FIG. 17 shows the abseil device from FIG. 9 in a controlled brakingposition; and

FIG. 18 shows a third embodiment of an abseil device of the invention ina controlled braking position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 5, the abseil device of theinvention comprises an integral main body 1 associated with a hook ring2, preferably a carabiner type hook ring with an opening finger.

The main body 1 has two generally parallel main flanges 3 and 4separated by a distance E such that a rope 5 can slide between them.

A longitudinal connecting flange 6 joins the two main flanges 3 and 4together, forming a groove 7 through which the rope passes, seen moreclearly in the FIG. 4 cross-section. In this embodiment the longitudinalconnecting flange 6 joins together two respective longitudinal sides ofthe main flanges 3 and 4.

In this embodiment the longitudinal connecting flange 6 has arectilinear longitudinal profile and a concave transverse profile withconverging flanks forming a rope wedging dihedron, as seen in FIG. 4.

The abseil device further comprises two opposite transverse connectingflanges 8 and 9, each joining together two respective transverse sidesof the main flanges 3 and 4, forming transverse wedging grooves.

The main body 1 further comprises a rope entry end 10 and a rope exitend 11, generally opposite each other in a longitudinal direction or ageneral direction of the rope 5 and shaped to orient the main body 1along the rope 5 in said longitudinal direction.

The free ends of the transverse connecting flanges 8 and 9, which areadvantageously in a V-shape configuration, constitute rope entry andexit guide portions.

The main body 1 further comprises openings 13 and 14 in correspondingrelationship in the respective main flanges 3 and 4. The openings 13 and14 have oblique edges such as the edge 12 progressively converging withthe longitudinal connecting flange 6 in the direction towards the ropeentry end 10, as seen in the figures.

In the position of use, the hook ring 2 passes through the openings 13and 14 and the rope 5 passes through it. The rope 5 is inserted betweenthe main flanges 3 and 4. When the hook ring 2 is pulled in a tractiondirection shown by the arrow 15 with the rope 5 held in the oppositedirection shown by the arrow 16 the hook ring 2 guided by the guidesurface formed by the oblique edge 12 wedges an intermediate portion 17of the rope 5 between the hook ring 2 and the longitudinal connectingflange 6 forming a wedging groove. The greater the traction on the hookring 2, the stronger the wedging action, with the result that the abseildevice is locked to the rope 5.

Pivoting the main body 1 as shown by the arrow 18 in FIG. 2progressively reduces the pressure exerted on the rope 5 between thehook ring 2 and the main body 1 and therefore progressively reduces thebraking force between the rope 5 and the abseil device, allowing theabseil device to slide along the rope 5, but still with an appropriatebraking force.

Accordingly, the abseil device previously described enables abseilingalong a fixed rope 5.

Another possible use of the same abseil device is to lock a safety rope.The abseil device is then used as shown in FIG. 2, the entry and exitruns of the rope 5 being guided by the hands of the user. The main body1 and the hook ring 2 allow the rope 5 to slide as long as the main body1 is oriented transversely to the runs of the rope, as shown in FIG. 2.Braking can be obtained by pivoting the main body 1 to return it to theposition shown in FIG. 1. To facilitate holding it in the slidingposition shown in FIG. 2, elastic connection means 19 are advantageouslyprovided to connect an intermediate portion 25 of the longitudinalconnecting flange 6 to the body of the user, thus constituting anorientation balancing unit enabling use of the abseil device as a safetyrope braking unit without it being necessary to hold the main body 1 ofthe abseil device in the hand during sliding. When a braking force isrequired on the rope 5, it is sufficient to let go of the rope where itenters the main body 1 and which, by pressing on the rope entry end 10,causes the main body 1 to pivot in the opposite direction to the arrow18. The carabiner 2 then slides and engages in the locking positionshown in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 6 through 8 show an embodiment of the abseil device of theinvention designed to be used on two parallel runs of rope 5 and 105. Inthis case the main flanges 3 and 4 are sufficiently far apart toaccommodate the two runs of rope 5 and 105 side by side, as shown inFIG. 6, and the longitudinal connecting flange 6 can advantageously havea double dihedron transverse profile for wedging the two parallel runsof rope 5 and 105 as shown in FIG. 7.

The rope entry and exit guide portions are formed by the two free endsof the transverse flanges 8 and 9, which advantageously have a W-shapeconfiguration as shown in FIG. 7.

In all the embodiments previously described the openings 13 and 14 areadvantageously symmetrical, having an isosceles triangle shape with acentral apex 20 in which the hook ring 2 is accommodated in the safetyrope braking position, as shown in FIG. 2.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 through 14 the main features of theabseil device previously described are retained, namely the two mainflanges 3 and 4 joined together by a longitudinal connecting flange 6forming a groove through which the rope passes between the two ends 10and 11. It also includes the transverse connecting flanges 8 and 9 in aV-shape configuration with a rounded bottom.

This embodiment incorporates three advantageous improvements.

In an embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 in particular, the longitudinalconnecting flange 6 has a triangular longitudinal profile with a convexinside edge 106 and a central apex 107.

In accordance with a first improvement, the convergent flanks 108 and109 of the longitudinal connecting flange 6 have respective parallellongitudinal undulations 110, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14.

In accordance with a second improvement, the longitudinal connectingflange 6 is extended at both ends by two rope retaining brackets 21 and22.

The use of the abseil device from FIGS. 9 through 14 is illustrated inFIGS. 15 through 17.

In FIG. 15, the abseil device is shown in the free sliding position inwhich the hook ring 2 is located at the apex 20 of the opening 13, theabseil device being in an equilibrium transverse position and exertingno braking action on the rope 5. Retaining it in this position requiresthe user to hold the two runs of the rope 5 in the position shown inFIG. 15.

If the user lets go of one run of the rope 5, the abseil device tiltsinto the FIG. 16 position. Traction 23 exerted on the rope opposingtraction 24 exerted on the hook ring 2 locks the rope 5 by causingengagement of the hook ring 2 in the locking position. This mode ofoperation can advantageously be used by the leading climber.

FIG. 17 shows the abseil device in the abseiling position, in whichcontrolled braking is applied. To this end, the lower entry run of therope 5 is passed first behind the bracket 22 opposite the entry end 10,laterally along the outside face of one of the main flanges 3, into therope passage between the two main flanges 3 and 4, through the hook ring2 and out of the device in the upward direction.

If the rope 5 were to escape from the bracket 22, the device wouldreturn to the position shown in FIG. 13 and lock up automatically.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 18 the abseil device has substantiallythe same component parts as the FIG. 9 embodiment plus two additionalfeatures: firstly, the brackets 22 and 21 are more accentuated, forimproved guidance of the rope 5; secondly, and more importantly, themain flanges such as the main flange 3 have notches 26 and 27 at the endopposite the longitudinal connecting flange 6 and through which the rope5 passes. Inserting the rope 5 in the notch 26 increases the brakingforce compared to the FIG. 9 embodiment and the more hollowed out shapeof the notch 22 prevents the rope 5 escaping from the notch 22. Thistype of abseil device locks automatically if the user lets go of therope and the abseil device. Controlled sliding along the rope requiresthe user to pivot the main body 1 of the abseil device in order to lowerthe bracket 22.

The main body 1 can be made from various materials. Good braking andlocking can be obtained with an aluminium alloy main body.

The abseil device of the invention has an enhanced locking capability byvirtue of its shape alone, and in particular achieves braking by awedging effect in which the braking force is applied to the core of therope, unlike rough surfaced devices which operate primarily on the outersheath of the rope and may damage it.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments that have beenexplicitly described but includes variants and generalisations thereofwithin the scope of the following claims.

I claim:
 1. In combination, a self-locking abseil device for relativelocking of a hook ring (2) and at least one rope (5), comprising anintegral main body (1) having:two generally parallel main flanges (3, 4)separated by a distance allowing the rope (5) to slide between them, alongitudinal connecting flange (6) joining together two longitudinalsides of the two main flanges (3, 4) and forming a groove (7) in whichthe rope (5) passes between an entry end (10) and an exit end (11), tworing guide openings (13, 14) in respective main flanges (3, 4) and incorresponding relationship to each other, each including at least oneoblique edge (12) progressively converging with the longitudinalconnecting flange (6) in the direction towards the rope entry end (10)and as far as a locking end, the ring guide openings (13, 14) beingsized to receive a portion of the hook ring (2) passing through them,said opening permitting ring sliding as far as the locking end in whichthe ring clamps the rope (5) against the longitudinal connecting flange(6), wherein:the longitudinal connecting flange (6) has a concave innertransverse profile with convergent flanks forming at least one dihedronfor wedging the rope (5), two opposite transverse connecting flanges (8,9) each joining together two respective transverse sides of the mainflanges (3, 4), forming transverse wedging grooves and constituting therope entry (10) and rope exit (11) ends.
 2. The combination of claim 1wherein the openings (13, 14) are symmetrical, having an isoscelestriangle shape with a central apex (20) in which the hook ring (2) isaccommodated in a safety rope locking position, said openings having twoopposite locking ends.
 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein it furthercomprises spring connecting means (19) for joining an intermediateportion (25) of the longitudinal connecting flange (6) to a body of auser, constituting an orientation balancing unit enabling use of theabseil device as a safety rope locking unit.
 4. The combination of claim1 wherein the longitudinal connecting flange (6) has a double dihedrontransverse profile for wedging two parallel runs of rope (5, 105). 5.The combination of claim 1 wherein the convergent flanks (108, 109) ofthe longitudinal connecting flange (6) have respective parallellongitudinal undulations (110).
 6. The combination of claim 1 whereinthe longitudinal connecting flange (6) is extended at both ends by tworope retaining brackets (21, 22).
 7. The combination of claim 6 whereinthe main flanges (3, 4) have notches (26, 27) at the end opposite thelongitudinal connecting flange (6), the notches adapted to allow throughpassage of the rope.
 8. A self-locking abseil device comprising anintegral main body (1), the main body having:two generally parallel mainflanges (3, 4) separated by a distance, a longitudinal connecting flange(6) joining together two longitudinal sides of the two main flanges (3,4) and forming a groove (7) and defining an entry end (10) and an exitend (11), two ring guide openings (13, 14) in respective main flanges(3, 4) and in corresponding relationship to each other, each includingat least one oblique edge (12) progressively converging with thelongitudinal connecting flange (6) in the direction towards the entryend (10) and as far as a locking end, wherein the longitudinalconnecting flange (6) has a concave inner transverse profile withconvergent flanks forming at least one dihedron, and wherein the abseildevice further comprises two opposite transverse connecting flanges (8,9) each joining together two respective transverse sides of the mainflanges (3, 4), forming transverse wedging grooves.
 9. The abseil deviceof claim 8, wherein the openings (13, 14) are symmetrical, having anisosceles triangle shape with a central apex (20), said openings havingtwo opposite locking ends.
 10. The abseil device of claim 8, furthercomprising spring connecting means (19) for joining an intermediateportion (25) of the longitudinal connecting flange (6) to a body of auser.
 11. The abseil device of claim 8, wherein the longitudinalconnecting flange (6) has a double dihedron transverse profile.
 12. Theabseil device of claim 8, wherein the convergent flanks (108, 109) ofthe longitudinal connecting flange (6) have respective parallellongitudinal undulations (110).
 13. The abseil device of claim 8,wherein the longitudinal connecting flange (6) is extended at both endsby two retaining brackets (21, 22).
 14. The abseil device of claim 8,wherein the main flanges (3, 4) have notches (26, 27) at the endopposite the longitudinal connecting flange (6).